Colo. police defend standing down during pot giveaway

Deputy Chief David Quinones said starting a riot over a petty offense wasn't worth it

By Jeremy P. Meyer
The Denver Post

DENVER, Colo. — A high-ranking Denver police official on Tuesday defended the department's decision to stand down while scores of people lit up marijuana joints at a free pot giveaway in Civic Center park.

Deputy Chief David Quinones said the department wasn't about to incite a riot on Monday over a petty offense.

"We have learned from 4/20 events that if we send officers into a crowd this size or bigger, it results in less than cooperative behavior," he said. "People tend to turn on the officers. It is a petty offense, not a jailable offense. We don't want to turn this into a small riot to enforce a petty offense. So we weighed our options yesterday and opted not to take action."